


Bun in the Oven

by RyanTyler2294



Category: DC Animated Universe, DC Cinematic Universe, DCU, dcu comics
Genre: Angst, Hurt/Comfort, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-02
Updated: 2018-01-02
Packaged: 2019-02-27 10:55:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,437
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13246740
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RyanTyler2294/pseuds/RyanTyler2294
Summary: Bruce didn't want this. Clark thinks he's over reacting. Will they make up or stay broken up?





	Bun in the Oven

**Author's Note:**

  * For [reader4books](https://archiveofourown.org/users/reader4books/gifts).



> Hope you guys like this one! Just because I've fallen in love with Uliro does not mean that I've turned my back on Superbat!

Bruce knows he should have said something sooner, but he didn’t see why it was Clark’s concern in the first place. Actually, this was all Clark’s fault if you really thought about it. There was no reason that Bruce should keep Kryptonian tech in his house, but Clark had come to him, holding some decorative egg-shaped pod, saying that he wouldn’t have time to get to his Fortress for a while and that he needed somewhere to keep it.

At first, Bruce didn’t question it. He put it in the back of the Batcave with his other secretive items. 

Not the point.

Bruce took a deep breath in.

“Calm down Bats,” He said to himself. “You need a level head. You need to think about this logically. Being rash is how you got into this mess to begin with.” He slumped in his chair as he replayed the argument he had with Clark in his mind. He’d overreacted, hurt Clark’s feelings, stormed out. Not like Clark had pulled his punches either, but someone had to be the bigger person and apologize first.

He grimaced, his mind wandering to the image of the pod in his cave. What was once inactive was now glowing and blinking to alert him to its activity.  If he could find some way to get rid of it, he would. 

Clark showed up at his door about an hour later. Bruce was going to let him sweat it out, but Alfred got the door. He could hear them making small talk in the entryway. It wasn’t long until he heard footsteps heading his way, and suddenly Clark was standing in front of him. He was still bundled up in his winter coat, so he must not plan on staying for long.

Good. Because Bruce didn’t feel like talking.

“Hey,” Clark greeted. 

“Hello,” Bruce looked up at him casually.

“I figured I come take the pod off your hands. Sorry for leaving it with you so long.”  There was a mocking edge to his voice at that last part.

“It’s in the cave,” Bruce got up and guided him through the house. Not like Clark didn’t know how to get to the cave. “Wait here.” Bruce went into a deeper part of the cave to retrieve the pod. It glowed dimly in the darkness of the cave and it beeped when he came close, like it recognized him. He lifted it with ease, surprised by how warm it felt in his palm. It was like there was a sudden energy moving under his skin.

It was creepy. He was more than happy to pass it off to Clark.

“Is that all you needed?” Bruce asked. It was odd to watch the way Clark’s eyes lit up when he finally got his hands on the pod. He looked like he was already enthralled by it. 

“Yes,” Clark smiled happily. “Thank you.” He brought the pod to his chest so he could zip it up in his coat.

“Really?”

“I know we need to talk,” Clark sighed. “But I don’t have it in me right now. Let me get all this settled, and we can sort things out a little later.”

Bruce shrugged like it was no big deal.

Clark sighed again before bidding him farewell and flying out the cave.

~.~.~.~.~

The pod was part of the rocket that Clark traveled in to get to earth. It had multiple purposes and could be broken into multiple parts to make use of these features. The main part of the rocket was the computer to his Fortress of Solitude. It was also what built the Fortress and let him manipulate its size and appearance. Then there was the pod. It was the main part of the rocket, and was what kept Clark alive through his travel. But when Clark started looking at it, he was sure that there was more to it. The same way he found that some of the crystals in the Fortress held information about Krypton. 

He’d taken the pod home with him so he would have more time to look it over. Then Perry sprung a new project that he wanted him and Lois to work on. On top of that, Lois had been snooping around trying to figure out how Clark was getting all his leads on his hero stories. She’d come close to finding it a few times, so he figured he’d leave it with Bruce for a while so he didn’t have to fly all the way back to the Arctic. 

It was normal for them to keep a few of the other’s things from time to time. Clark’s Fortressed housed a backup Bat-Jet, Bat-Car, and a few extra suits as well as reloads for the utility belt. In his house were a few spare pairs of clothes, a laptop (in case Bruce had work) a toothbrush, a shaving kit, along with Bruce’s favorite scents of body wash.

Clark now sat atop of the Daily Planet building, keeping the pod wrapped in his cape. The cold winds whipped across his face, but he didn’t feel it. He never felt it. The motion wasn’t nearly rough enough or cold enough for him to notice it. But the pod might. He didn’t know. And he might never know, because the only person who he figured could find out was Batman, and Batman wouldn’t talk him right now. Not that Clark wanted to talk.

He was still angry about their argument. It’s not like he wanted this to happen: he had no idea what that pod did, or that it was active, or that Bruce would bleed on it. There really was no one to blame in this situation, but Bruce had insisted on blaming him, yelling at him like he planned this all along.

But he knew what it meant. When there was an element that Bruce couldn’t control, he looked for some form of reasoning. When things continue to spiral, he lashed out. 

Clark sighed, looking down at his bundled cape. He didn’t know what to do, and he had no one to help him with this. He pulled the pod closer, cradling it to his chest. 

He couldn’t go to his mother, at least not yet. Barry was on a date with Hal and Diana was always busy now in days. Now that he thought about it, he didn’t have that many friends outside of the few he made in the League, or at least, not ones he could talk to without revealing his identity. Bruce was the first person he was able to have in both parts of his life.

But he couldn’t go to him right now.

Snow started to fall, but it melted before it could touch him. He stood up and let his feet start to rise from the ground. He wasn’t sure where he was going to go. He wasn’t ready to go back to his apartment just yet. There was too much of Bruce’s stuff there. And he didn’t want to go to the Fortress.

He sighed, and started to wander the skies.

~.~.~.~.~

Lois was surprised by the knock on her door. It was almost 3am and she was still working on an investigative piece. Everyone in the office knew she was working on a big piece, and that she hadn’t been getting much sleep over it. Still, it didn’t give people the right to just knock at this time, without at least calling ahead.

She wasn’t going to get up for it. She ignored the second round of knocks and was ready to just put on her headphones.

“Lois it’s Clark,” a voice came from the other side of the door. He was trying to keep his voice down enough to not wake her neighbors. “I know you’re awake. Can I just…can I come in?”

Lois knows that tone. She got up from her desk and opened the door surprised to see Clark holding some red bundle in his arms. He was clad in his hat, scarf, coat, and tight blue pants with a pair of red boots? And was that bundle glowing? His face was pink and it looked like he was trying not to cry.

“Am I going to need coffee or vodka for this?”

“You’re probably going to want to put vodka in your coffee,” Clark confirmed. 

“Come on in,” Lois let him inside. She could already tell it was going to be a long night. And she was right. It was an hour later that she was sitting on the couch as Clark poured his heart out.

“Let me get this straight.” Lois cut him off at the end of his explanation. “You’re Superman. That thing in your arms is the pod you came in, and it’s capable of taking two pairs of DNA and making a child. One of your super companions, whose name you won’t divulge, bleed on it and with your DNA on file is started to make a child. Now they’re mad at you and won’t talk to you.”

Clark nodded. 

“They knocked you up and now they won’t take responsibility.”

“It’s no one’s fault.” Clark sighed looking down at the pod. “Neither of us knew what this thing did. After it started beeping it took me an hour just to translate what it was saying on the control panel, and when I did he started freaking out…”

“So it’s a guy?” Lois asked eyebrow raised.

“Yeah,” Clark sounded dejected as he ran his hand over the ridges of the pod. “But it’s no one’s fault. I didn’t know what it did and he didn’t…”

“So why are you mad at him?”

“For taking it out on me. He’s blaming me, and if feels like he…I don’t know.”

“You know.” Lois put her hand over his. “What’s bothering you?”

“I think he’s using his anger to push me away. I don’t think he wants a child with me. And I get wanting to break up if there was something wrong, or him just saying that he isn’t ready to start a family together, but he can never just say what he means. He needs to cause a scene and make me be the one to back away.”

“Then don’t back away,” Lois said. “Make him take responsibilities for himself. Make him give you a proper explanation. Or, leave him. It doesn’t sound like he’s worth all the trouble if he’s causing this much grief. I mean, you’re going to have someone else to take care of pretty soon. You can’t coddle a grown man into talking about his feelings all the time.”

“I know, I just... I really care about him.” He sighed. “I love him.”

“Have you told him?”

“Once,” Clark admitted. “After a mission when we were hanging out at my place and we were eating and I told him and he just stared at me. I know he can’t say it back. I wasn’t expecting him to, but it’s been such a long time since then, and I’ve been hoping that maybe one day he would say it and…”

“How long has it been?”

“Since I told him, or since we’ve been together?”

“Why not make it both?” Lois leaned back against the armrest of the couch, braced for the answer. 

“Two years since I’ve said it, three and a half since we started seeing each other if you ask him, if you ask me it’s closer to four.”

“Four year is a lot of dedication,” Lois said calmly, before adding, “How did you not tell me?”

“Secret identities. It wouldn’t make any sense that I know him.”

“You guys met fighting crime?” Lois asked. “You sure your guy's passion isn’t just some adrenaline haze?”

“For me, it wasn’t,” Clark frowned. There were very few times when his body used adrenaline, and most of them had been those times when he lost his powers for one reason or another. “And he’s not the kind of guy to act on impulse. I thought that, maybe, he really wanted me.” 

“So what are you going to do?” Lois asked.

“Get ready. It’s all I can do. This little guy is coming whether I’m ready or not. I just hope that he comes around, ya know? Even if he doesn’t want to get together, I want to be able to properly apologize. I didn’t bite my tongue when we fought.”

“What did you say?” Lois asked. “I can’t imagine you being mean.”

“I was a bit of a dick.”

“What did you say?”

“I…accused him of not really being committed to me, and that he never wanted to be together long-term and that he was just using this baby as an excuse to bail.”

“Did you say it to be mean, or do you really believe that?” Lois asked gently. She watched as Clark’s lip quivered and his eyes started to water. Fat, hot, tears started to roll down his face. The moment they existed outside of his body, they were met by cool air and turned to stream as they rolled down his heated face.

“I don’t think he ever loved me.” Clark’s voice broke. “I think he likes me, I think that he cares, but after I confessed all those years ago he was scared of losing me as a friend and just… I don’t think he ever planned on being with me.”

“Oh sweetie.” Lois rubbed his back. “It’s okay.”

“No, its…he always has a plan. Always. If he wanted me, if he still wanted to do this he would have had a plan for us about what we were going to do next, but instead, he just yelled at me.” He hugged the pod closer. “I’m an idiot.” He sobbed.

“You’re not an idiot,” Lois assured him. “He’s unappreciative. Look, I’m here for you. You’re not alone in this.”

“Thank you.”

“How much longer until the birth?” Lois asked.

“A few months.”

“We gotta get you a better place and some supplies.” Lois mused, ready to start in on a to-do list until she saw Clark starting to wilt. “But first let’s get you a good night's rest. You can stay here tonight. I’ll make up the guest room.”

“The sun is already up.” Clark reminded her.

“You know what I mean,” Lois poked his face. “I’ll let Perry know that you’re not coming in today.”

“Thanks.”

“Just get some sleep, alright?”

~.~.~.~.~

“Do you plan on reconciling with him, sir?” Alfred’s voice came over the comlink while Bruce was coming in from a night on patrol. 

“We work together. We have to work things out eventually.”

“I don’t mean professionally, sir.”

Bruce growled quietly. In response. 

“It’s already been a few weeks.” Alfred reasoned. “That’s more than enough time to cool off and talk to each other in a calm fashion.”

“It’s not that simple,” Bruce said as calmly as possible. Alfred was waiting for him in the Batcave. 

“I think it’s simpler than you’re making it out to be.”

“If he wants to talk, then he’ll come find me. Right now I’m busy.”

“Is that really how you want things to end?” Alfred asked as Bruce started to remove his armor in a huff. “Mad at each other, and your child stuck in the middle? I’m not suggesting you reinvest in your romantic relation per say, but you were friends before this. He was one of the few good friends you had. I think that relationship is worth saving.”

“Things come to an end sometimes, Alfred.”

“Only if you let them. Master Bruce, if you don’t mind me speaking out of turn…”

“I do,” Bruce grumbled. He didn’t want to hear it. 

“I think you two had something special. All the years you’ve been together, I’ve never seen you so happy. I know that the idea of a new child is scary, especially since it means keeping some form intimacy, even if you broke up.  

“Alfred…” Bruce snapped.

“I know you love him.” The Butler continued. “And I know this is hard for you, and it’s intimidating. But don’t run away from it’s just because it's easier for you. You’re not the only one who will get hurt by this.”

“Are you done?” Bruce asked.

“Yes,” Alfred said. “I only ask that you think about it.”

And he did. Actually, he’d been thinking about it for some time now. Clark hadn’t contacted him. It wasn’t just that, but he thinks Clark may be avoiding him. They never bumped into each other on the Watchtower, they don’t see each other on patrol. Clark didn’t even show up at the last gala.

Time was going by, and Clark still hadn’t come around. So much for sorting things out later. A month had passed now, and still no word.

Bruce grumbled, drumming his fingers against his desk as he scowled down the Daily Planet website. Clark had a few new stories up since their fight. He must be doing alright then. 

Maybe Alfred was right. Okay, he knew Alfred was right, but it didn’t make reaching out any easier. Knowing that he had hurt Clark was the worst part, and now he was trying to figure out what he had said that made Clark back away. Not that he’d expected for him to stick around. 

They were two completely different people. He knew that at some point Clark would become disenchanted with him and see what he really was. It had just taken him longer to get there than others.

He’d remembered when Clark had first confessed to him at the beginning of their relationship. They’d only been flirting and spending time together, but it wasn’t anything substantial. It wasn’t until they were eating Chinese on Clark’s pull out couch watching T.V that Clark mentioned what they were doing was kind of like a date, that Bruce realized that his feelings may not be one-sided.

He didn’t think that they had would last long. Then, a few years later, Clark had looked at him so adoringly when he said he loved him. He didn’t pressure Bruce to say it back. Not then, not ever. 

Clark never asked for anything from him. Even when he found out about the baby and they fought, he never forced Bruce to act.

But now he was giving Bruce the cold shoulder. 

The only signs that he had that Clark was alive were the appearances of Superman in Metropolis and his articles. Then he got a text from Clark with a due date and an address.

~.~.~.~.~

Apartment hunting had been a nightmare. Clark needed a place close to work but with enough room for a growing child: something spacious, but also private. He didn’t know how strong the child would be, since he was half human, but if anything broke he would need somewhere that didn’t have nosey neighbors.

Part of him thought about moving back to Smallville just in case, but that wouldn’t be fair to Bruce. Maybe, if he didn’t want to be in the kid’s life, he would move, but for right now he found a good place. Jimmy and Lois got a few friends to help him move in, but Clark started to gather baby supplies on his own. 

He had a few things in the nursery when the pod started to chirp at him.

“What wrong?” He knelt down next to the bassinet he’d gotten so he could put the pod down when he couldn’t hold it. It was warm in his palm, lighting up and beeping as if to acknowledge him. 

A new control panel opened up. There was a list of genetic features that popped up: eye color, hair color, abilities, etc. Clark picked it up and looked through the list. It was extensive: he could even choose the gender it was so specific.

It was times like these when he ached for Bruce. He knew he would probably have a few opinions on this kind of thing.

Clark sighed again and started picking a few things. He made sure to get rid of health problems and set gender and height to random. Apparently, this kid could be as tall as 6’4”. That was taller than him and Bruce. Then he started going through the list of powers. He didn’t want to take them away from the kid, but he did find that he could decide the intensity of each one.

Durability was a must. Strength had to be toned down; he didn’t want his kid to have to walk on vinegar-soaked egg shells like he does. He toned down the heat vision so the kid could have better control over it, same with ice breath. 

He left everything else alone for now. There was a timer on how long he had to tweak the features, as well as a timer as to when the child would be born. 

He put the pod back in the bassinet. He watched the lights on it blink and flutter. He couldn’t help but smile.

He finally decided to call his mother and tell her the good news. She was so excited she screamed before she started to gush over everything. She was going to fly down when the baby was due and she was going to bring baby clothes.

“Do you already have a crib?”

“Yeah, I’m setting it up now,” Clark was grinning as he worked. He kept the phone on speaker to keep his hands free.

“I’m so happy for you! What color is the nursery going to be?”

“I’m thinking lavender or lilac. Maybe a sky blue on the ceiling.” He mused. 

“So…who’s the other person?” Ma asked.

“They’re not really involved with this,” Clark admitted. “It’s a long story.”

“What happened?” She asked gently.

“We got into a fight, and I decided that what we had might not have been worth salvaging if they didn’t want me to begin with.”

“Does he not want to be in the child’s life at all?”

“He hasn’t contacted me since the fight, so I left it alone.”

“Have you contacted him?”

“I’m always the one to call,” Clark said. “It’s just…the way we ended things…I’m not sure if it’s worth it. I don’t think he wants anything to do with the child.”

“Is this what you want?” Ma asked.

“I don’t know, but not having to worry about the status of our relationship has been a load off my shoulders. My friends are helping me as well. I just told them I was adopting.”

“As long as you’re happy.”

“I am,” Clark assured her.

“Alright. I’ll let your father know when he gets back from town. Love you sweetheart!”

“Love you too Ma.” He called back before hanging up.

He sighed. Maybe his mom had a point. He should at least keep Bruce in the loop. He reached for his phone and sent Bruce a quick text with his new address and due date. Maybe he should have said more, but he couldn’t bring himself to.

~.~.~.~.~

Lois insisted on throwing him a baby shower to cheer him up. Clark had to very adamantly tell her no. He didn’t need people around his apartment where he kept the pod. It was bad enough he had to leave it at home during the day.

Later on, Lois brought over presents from the people in the office.

“Everyone pitched in and we got you some baby supplies. Dippers, bottles, clothes!”

“Wow,” Clark beamed as he started going through everything. “Little shoes.” He held them up to show Lois.

“Are you excited yet?” Lois asked.

“I’ve been excited since the beginning,” Clark continued to rummage through the box.

“Has your mystery man called you?” Lois asked.

“No,” Clark shrugged. “But I sent him a text to let him know when the due date is. If he shows up he shows up, if he doesn’t, then, well, he doesn’t”

“Look, I know I was the one who said fuck’em if he didn’t come around but, you guys were together for a long time. Even if you don’t get back together, maybe you should see him one last time so you can clear the air and at least work well together.”

“If he wants to,” Clark decided. “Honestly, I think he’s glad to finally have me out of his life.”

“Do you really think that?”

Clark shrugged, “I can never tell with him. But ya know, in the beginning, I liked the mystery. I could never tell what he was thinking or what his intentions were. Sometimes he would text me with a random address and time and we’d met up and he have some sort of extravagant date planned.” He smiled at the memories. 

“Sounds romantic,” Lois smirked.

“Yeah. He never said it, but in moments like that, it was easy to believe he loved me. That he wanted to keep the passion we had so things would last.”

“Passion?” Lois raised an eyebrow. “How so?”

“Huh?”

“Was this mystery man any good in the sack?”

Clark blush and stuttered incoherent words before he could form an answer. 

“I-we-I mean…I didn’t mean it like that. We couldn’t you know, with my strength I could hurt him.”

“You haven’t ever?” Lois was trying, but failing at hiding her incredulous look. Clark shook his head and Lois’s eyes almost bulged out of her head before she exclaimed, “You’re over forty!”

“I know. It’s just, I’m really strong.”

“I get that.” Lois nodded, trying to figure out where this was going.

“I’m really strong. Stronger than you can imagine. If I lose control, I can do real damage, so I avoid that kind of thing.”

“Wait, so you never even...” She made a vague motion with her hand, like she was stroking a…

“No,” Clark blushed. “Why are we even talking about this?”

Lois shrugged, “Do you think being in a sexless relationship was part of it? I don’t know about you, but with all the guys I dated it was a deal breaker.”

“It’s not like that. I mean…I…helped him out a few times. I just couldn’t allow myself to…let’s say participate.”

“Okay, okay,” Lois snickered. “I was just curious.” She let the subject drop. “The nursery is coming along.”

“I know,” Clark looked around the room, proud of his work. “Pa sent over the mobile.”

“If you ever need me to babysit…”

“I know,” Clark chuckled. “You and Wonder Woman have already thrown in your bids.”

“Speaking of which, I bumped into a Diana Prince at lunch yesterday. She introduced herself and said you were a mutual friend of ours. We spent an hour together before I figured out who she was. I keep forgetting you know people in the superhero community.”

“Yeah, they’re all excited about Sups Jr.” He chuckled.

“That’s what they’re calling him?”

“Flash came up with the name.”

“Speaking of names, have you come up any?”

“Johnathan if it’s a boy, Joan if it’s a girl.” 

~.~.~.~.~

Bruce stood in front of Clark’s door, box in hand. He should knock soon. He’d been standing in the hallway of the apartment building for a while now. He shouldn’t be nervous. He knows what he wanted to say, he just had to go in there and say it. 

He’s Batman for crying out loud, he can handle something as simple as this. 

He knocked and waited. It wasn’t long until Clark opened the door.

“Bruce,” Clark looked surprised to see him. And Bruce was just as surprised. Clark had a rounded belly under his thick sweater. He hadn’t been expecting this. What kind of development had taken place?

“Do you want to come in?” Clark asked.

“Yes.”

Clark moved aside to let him in. It was awkward and tense.  Normally after not seeing each other for a long time, even after a fight, they would fall into each other’s arms. 

“So,” Clark asked, “What’s going on?”

“I brought some things.” Bruce set the box down. He pulled out the small stuffed lion and matching yellow baby blanket. “I still have my first toy and blanket, so I know how much it means to a child.”

“Thanks,” Clark smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. He did take note on the way Bruce kept looking at his belly. “Oh, this isn’t,” Clark lifted his shirt to show the custom snuggly that fit around his waist and the pod that was in a thick knitted covering. “I try to keep it close. The instructions say that more contact helps it feel comfortable in the pod and helps with bonding.”

“I see,” Bruce kept his voice even.

“Is this your way of saying you want to be in the child’s life or…?” 

“Actually,” Bruce shifted his feet to give himself a stronger stance, “I came to apologize. I shouldn’t have yelled.”

“Me either.”

“And I’m not sure if we can get back what we had, but I’ve missed you and would be willing to try again if you gave me the chance.”

Clark sighed, “Look I know that this is a lot to take in, but if you really want to get back together things need to change. Both of us need to change. I know I accused you of a lot, but everything I said was something I thought, but didn’t feel like I could express to you. And we can’t bring a kid into this mess.”

“You know I don’t mean to be closed off,” Bruce said. “I want to be back in your life. I’m willing to do anything if it means you’ll take me back. What happened before won’t happen again.” He dared to take a step closer, and Clark didn’t move away. “I want to rectify everything that I’ve done. If you let me make it up to you.”

“You being here is a start,” Clark smiled, his eyes twinkling. “The fact that you wanted to apologize means a lot.” 

“So…?”

“Let’s take it slow?” Clark shrugged. “We don’t need to pick up where we left off. Let’s dial it back, see where it goes.”

“I’d like that,” Bruce smiled. 

“Do you want to see the nursery?” Clark asked. 

“Sure,” Bruce followed a floating Clark to a different room of the house. The walls were painted lilac and the baseboards were a light blue. The ceiling was a sky blue with clouds. The crib had a mobile and was already made up with blankets and pillows. There was a small white cabinet that seconded as a changing station. 

“Wow,” Bruce said as he looked around.

“I’m waiting on a rocking chair from Pa. I’m going to get one of those little book racks to go next to it,” Clark informed him as he undid the clasp that held the pod to his body and gently placed it in the bassinet.

“I can’t believe I let myself miss all this.” 

“Well, raising a child can be a scary endeavor.” Clark reasoned.

“I’ve raised four boys. Parenthood isn’t what worried me.” If they were supposed to be more open with each other now was a good time to start. “You were right when you said I was worried about getting close to you. Having a child is a final commitment. No matter how our relationship turned out, there would always be some sort of connection between us. I wasn’t sure if I was ready to have that.”

“And now?”

“I want to.” Bruce turned to him. “Even if we can’t get back to being romantically involved, you were my best friend before any of this. I want to keep that.”

“Same.” Clark smiled. He put the stuffed animal and blanket Bruce had brought in the crib. “As long as we can work it out to some kind of equilibrium, I’m okay with that.” 

Bruce smiled back. 

Maybe he really could make this work.

~.~.~.~.~

The day of the birth Clark’s apartment was crowded. Lois found it amazing to see so many people who she was sure were superheroes out of costume. Diana came with Steve Trevor. Barry Allen came with Hal Jordan; they also brought enough pizza and soda to feed an army. Oliver Queen had popped in with a few gifts, but had to leave for an event. Clark’s cousins and parents were here as well. A woman named Dinah Lance was here as well. Arthur Curry showed up with his wife Mera.

Much to her surprise, Bruce Wayne was also here. He brought along his kids. Dick Grayson, Jason Todd, Tim Drake, and Damian Wayne. Even more surprising was watching Bruce and Clark’s interaction. It only took a second for her to put together what was up with those two. It was nice to finally put a name to the mystery man.

When Clark had told her that they had gotten back together she had been skeptical at first, but right now they appeared to be in a good place, so she let it be. There was no point in ruining this special day. 

Clark had parked himself in front of the bassinet as the time for the arrival came closer. Bruce was next to him, talking softly with Clark’s parents. The introduction was a little tense in the beginning, but they seemed to be starting to get along. Alfred wasn’t too far from Bruce, but he was also keeping a watchful eye on the kids, while he chats with Dinah.

“Excited?” Lois tapped Clark on the shoulder.

“Nervous,” He answered back. Before Lois could, Bruce had his hand on Clark’s back, rubbing small circles between his shoulder blades. They didn’t say anything to each other, they just shared a look and a small smile.

“There are only a few minutes left,” Ma Kent announced. Everyone stopped what they were doing and started to gather around. Damian, the youngest of Bruce’s kids wasn’t shy about peeking into the bassinet. He was just a little over three years old and didn’t quite get it. 

“Babies come from eggs?” Damian turned to Bruce in confusion. Everyone laughed, but it only served to make Damian frustrated. 

“No, babies don’t come from eggs,” Bruce assured him. “This is a special case because he’s Clark’s baby.”

“Because Clark’s an alien.”

“Yes.”

“Hmm,” Damian continued to watch the light. Bruce had informed him that he was going to be a big brother. At first he hadn’t been too excited by it, but the idea seemed to be growing on him, or at the very least he was a little more curious about the whole situation. 

“Are you hoping for a boy or a girl?” Barry asked.

“I have my fingers crossed for a girl,” Clark admitted. 

“It would be a change of pace for me,” Bruce mused. “But I also can’t imagine what these guys will do once she hit puberty and boys start to notice her,” He pointed to Dick, Jason, and Tim who looked playfully offended.

“That’s true,” Clark chuckled. “I also wouldn’t mind adding another to your band of boys.”

Bruce laughed. He didn’t want to admit he was hoping for a boy. He’d only had boys up to this point, and getting through all their individual crises compiled on the issue of growing up had been hard enough. He couldn’t imagine doing it with a different set of circumstances. He could relate to boys, he understood the expectations and the world they live in as men. He wouldn’t have the same sort of know-how with a girl. He could be compassionate, even emphatic, but would it be good enough?

Clark didn’t seem too worried about those kinds of details. And they did have a full support system behind them. Maybe it wouldn’t be as much of a struggle as he imagined it to be.

The last thirty seconds were counting down and Clark scooched closer to the bassinet. Bruce's stomach started to tie itself into a knot. He couldn’t tell if he was excited or nervous, but his hand instinctively grasped Clark’s. He hadn’t expected to be this wound up. Clark smiled warmly at him.

The pod started to open and a hush fell over the room. Clark kneeled so he could peek inside as the panels started to move back. Bruce watched, unable to move from his spot.  He could see the ways Clark’s eyes lit up the moment the opening was wide enough for him to see. A little cry burst forth from the pod as the baby took its first breath. Bruce’s heart leaped into his throat. 

This was happening!

When Clark came back to him he had the child swaddled in the yellow blanket. Everyone surrounding them inched closer to get a better look.

“It’s a boy,” Clark gushed. He looked at Bruce, positively glowing as he presented his child to him.

Bruce got that earlier jump of the heart when he held him. He looked down into his arms and his heart melted. The infant was still crying, but after rocking him a little he started to quiet down and coo. Bruce couldn’t stop the smile that spread across his face if he wanted to. 

This was perfect.

“He needs a name, ya know,” Hal pointed out.

“Johnathan Wayne Kent,” Clark said decisively. Pa Kent all but fell to the floor he was so touched.  

“Hi John,” Bruce spoke softly. He didn’t want to let him go, but he knew the newly-made grandparents were itching to hold him as well so he passed him off. He would get him back soon. Because Johnathan was his. He was part of the family. It was still settling in on him. 

“I want to hold him,” Damian demanded.

“You’ll get a chance to,” Bruce promised.

“He has your nose,” Ma told Clark. “Look at him.”

Bruce couldn’t fight these feelings that were swelling in his chest just from seeing Clark holding their child while sitting in the rocking chair, surrounded by family and friends. This was something that he never thought he would have, something he never allowed himself to believe was possible. So it was almost devastating to realize that he would have to go home at some point and leave Clark and John by themselves, that he might miss something.

But they had just made up, talking about moving in with each other would now be too sudden. He would have to give Clark some time to think about it. But maybe he would be willing to let him spend the night, just this once, so they could be together as a family. 

Fin

**Author's Note:**

> Comments feed me! Let me know what you think!


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